Over 1,000 miles together.

I estimated how many miles me and little ________ have ran together and it is over 1,000. I already feel like we are best friends and she already knows how to deal with my craziness quite nicely.

35.5 weeks:

-My ribs keep wondering when in the world she is ever going to drop a little. My mom says that hers didn’t drop until she was in labor. Dang it. I was 9 lbs 7 ounces and I really knew how to kick so I was extra painful for my mom.

-40 miles last week

-I can no longer sit up straight because of ribs smooshing and so I now drive with my car seat reclined big time.

-Hello heartburn, it is nice to meet you.

-As of today my due date is exactly one month away?!?!

-We are back to having no idea where we will have the baby and whether Billy will be able to make it back in time or not. This should bring more drama than the Bachelorette. Stay tuned.

-Baby shower time is about to start. I am practicing my, “THAT IS THE CUTEST THING IN THE WORLD” in lots of different octaves to figure out which pitch I like best. Turns out the highest pitch one wins.

-We now have doctor’s appointments once a week. I think that means we are getting close.

-For the first time I am actually getting really worried about the labor and delivery. I don’t do well with pain (unless it is from running a marathon) and so the thought of what is actually going to be happening in about a month is scaring me to death.

-To prepare for labor I will be watching Baby Mama with TIna Fey and Father of the Bride Part II a few times this week.

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What is your favorite pregnancy/birth/babies movie? Have you seen Baby Mama or Father of the Bride Part II?

Did thinking about the pain part of labor scare you? What scared you the most about labor?

Hope your rubbing your “taint” with oil! – baby mama. Hahaha. Good luck you are on the home stretch! I can’t believe how well you have run throughout your pregnancy. That is amazing. Go with what you want when you have your baby. I wanted to go straight to the epidural room and when my son was born emergency C-section I didn’t let myself feel one bit of guilt for not having natural childbirth. (epidural had nothing to do with c-section) Then my others came C-section because my body is uncooperative. In the end I had healthy, strong ALIVE babies!

Amba

I really wish I could tell you not to be scared, but I don’t no many who don’t feel scared of labor pain to some degree. I could relate the pain/ discomfort of my last half marathon similar to that of labor;-) You have amazing mental toughness you’ve proven that many times in your running, trust.
Wow you were one big baby! Mine were around 9lbs but I didn’t have them sitting so high! All the best, take care.

Susan

I love both father of the bride movies! :) hearing labor stories from my friends is….eye opening to say the least, lol. You’ll do great though…whether ur scared or not..and you’ll have billy there to calm (try to at least ) u.

First, I need to say how great you look! I’m sure the labor and recovery will go much more smoothly because of those 1,000 miles. Do you have your jogging stroller yet?

That said … having someone to hold your hand is important. I held my husband’s hand and would squeeze when a contraction hit. I couldn’t squeeze anywhere near that hard afterwards (until the next baby). If the hand doesn’t work, grab something to hold on to and don’t push with your face. You’ve seen the guys when they’re lifting the huge weights? squinting the eyes with the neck all thick and the chin tucked? Don’t do that.

The pain may be worse if you’re tired. I told Mike, during the second time, that this one hurt worse then the first and I wasn’t tired yet. I got pain meds :D

Thrilled to pieces for you and keeping you in my prayers.

Movies: don’t think I saw any…Parenthood count? I like movies that blow up
Labor: the not knowing what was happening was scary but Mike and his Mother were there for me (I asked if she wanted to be there)
Oh man, the heat got to me (June and August in CA) but I was not in as good of shape as you. I’m sure you don’t even really waddle.

So many miles together and you will have so many more :) The last few weeks of pregnancy were painful because of my hips and when it was finally time for L&D, I was excited and not scared. You are just so ready to have the baby that you aren’t nervous or scared anymore!

You are almost there!! The hardest part of those last few weeks of pregnancy was definitely my swelling. It was insane! So thankful those days are gone. In terms of labor and delivery I had it pretty easy (and I got an epidural) but I guess the hardest part was the post partum recovery. I tore bad and had to get 20 stitches. . . it took a good 4-5 weeks before I felt back to normal.

kara

You and your munchkin are adorable! That is unbelievable how many miles you and your little one have ran! I think she is training for a speedy birth!

I, too was freaking out about labor that I dragged my hubby to a pretty pricey and unnecessary birth class (where I did decide that I would eventually get the Epidural!) because needless to say my munchkin was in breech position from day 1, we tried turning her at 38 weeks, she wasn’t budging, so scheduled a C-section for week 39 (so, of course I scheduled a hair appointment and mani-pedi for the day before… but my munchkin was not going to have her mama get all dolled up, so she put me into labor 3 days before my scheduled C-section…at least hospital immediately took ultrasound to ck that she was still in breech position and prepped me for C-section… Overall, I had a great birthing experience.

The worse of it was just not being allowed to do any physical activity for 6 weeks… no cleaning, no laundry, no cooking, no lifting anything but the baby and of course some nice walks with my baby.. it was soo rough ;)

Cindi B

Don’t freak out too much about labor pains. There are a few nice things to keep in mind. First, every one brings your sweet little girl a little bit closer to being in your arms. There is a break between them, so you can practice calm breathing and relaxation and just think of each one as a small hill-climb like you would in running, with a bit of a coast/cool down in between. Quite often, just when you think you can’t possibly do it any more is when you’re closest to the end! It’s all good and, like another wonderful blog I follow says, “We can do hard things.” You can, too!
(Being a doula myself, I can’t help but recommend getting a doula if you can, once you decide where you will be having your baby, especially if there’s a chance Billy might not be there).

Lauren

Janae, you look incredible! You and your baby girl have already run 1,000 miles together?!!! labor is going to be a breeze for you! I am so excited to hear the name and see pictures of her. So glad to hear you are doing so well.

Audra M.

I’ve seen Father of the Bride Part Two at least 100 times. Excellent baby prep! You are a rockstar by the way, 1000 miles since you’ve been pregnant! I’ll be thrilled to ever get that in a year! The hardest part of the last month of pregnancy for me was the 14 hour evacuation flight back to the US :) The prospect of delivering my baby on an airplane over the Pacific was pretty terrifying. Plus when you’re roughly the size of a small whale and have ankles that are swelling, flying isn’t that fun.

You will be just fine during labor…It’s a lot like the pain of long distance running. Yeah, it’s hard, and at the time you think you won’t get through, but as soon as you hold your little girl all you can feel is euphoria and that is what you remember.

My second pregnancy was a piece of cake, but I had been on bedrest for the last 6 weeks of my first, and when I finally got clearance to walk around again at the time of my due date, I just felt like every muscle in my body had atrophied and it was hard to even walk down the block. She was 10 full days late (arrived the day before my scheduled induction, the little stinker :) so the waiting those last 10 days just about did me in!

Christine

You and your little girl are so cute! I love Father of the Bride II! It’s so sweet and I cry pretty much every time I watch it. I was scared about the pain part of labor for my first kiddo. I think because we have no idea what to expect. The second time around I knew what was going on and it was much easier. I was always so excited to meet my little one, that the pain was worth it. The pain is temporary, and then you will have your little girl! You will do wonderfully when you go into labor. You are so strong and you are willing to do what it takes to keep your little girl safe. You will be amazed at what you can handle, especially pain. Talk to your mom and sister, your labor will more than likely be a lot like theirs.

I think I was more scared of recovery than delivery! My kids were preemies, so with my 27 weeker I couldn’t have an epidural – labor was really painful, but all back labor – but when it came time to push it was no big deal since he was tiny. With my second, he was 33 weeks, but 5 lb 10 oz, and I had an epidural – labor was seriously no big deal until I had to push – which lasted an hour and after 15 minutes I was begging them to tell me it would be over soon. But you’re in the moment and just have to deal with it. For me the recovery was worse, I had tearing, so lots of pain and stitches, and they told me I should look at my stitches with a mirror every day. Not.going.to.happen! I was also terrified every time I used the bathroom.

But my youngest is 3 1/2 now. It really just is a small moment in time, and your endorphins will be times a bazillion what running endorphins are after you have her. Good luck!

I 100% understand what you’re going through- I went into my first labor with the “naive is best” approach believing that if I just remained calm and remembered that the doctors/nurses have done this a ton of times and would guide me then I would be fine and that strategy worked for me. By the time the real pain hit I was so focused on getting through it that it was over soon enough and the most beautiful baby was in my arms. Just keep your mind focused on your end goal- having her in your arms!

Tina

You have got to be the most adorable, radiant mama-to-be I have ever seen! Its amazing that you and baby girl have already logged 1,000+ miles together. I hope the next month is kind to you. Best wishes!

Brittany

Baby Mama is the funniest movie!!!! I love whenever Amy Poehler says “I wish I was at an Arby’s because they have better food and COOLER people!” or when she gets locked in the ‘stupid space car’.. lol, omg honestly way too many good scenes to quote!!!

Megan D

Baby mamma! ! Love that movie! I was scared of labor and delivery too, but once you are there and in that moment it is not so scary anymore. Your body and adrenaline take over and know what to do. I just told myself billions of woman have done it and then CHOSE to do it again, so it can’t be that bad, right? !

Smile

It’s going to be fine!! In the last two weeks before you have the baby, you stop being worried about labour and just want the baby out. It gets really uncomfortable, you get really fed up with the whole thing, and just want that baby out! I think it’s God’s way of getting you over the fear. So hang in there.

Also..epidurals are incredible. Utterly wonderful.

Kristen

JANAE!!
YOU ARE AMAZING!!! Way to stay strong to the END!! I am SOOOO excited to see this little beauty!! Whatever you do- DO NOT watch “A Baby Story” on Lifetime…I accidentally watched it the other day- yuck. DO not worry about the pain- it really isn’t bad and that huge shot they jab into your back takes care of ALL of it!!

I was terrified about the pain to come. I don’t do well with it either. But then I finally came to the realization this IS happening. Women does it every single day and have for years. This is what our bodies were designed to do. And I just accepted that it was going to be the worst pain I would ever experience, but I could do it! And I decided I wanted the full buffet of drugs to take the edge off. ;-)

The hardest part in the last few weeks of pregnancy was feeling overfull stomach the entire time. Heartburn bad. Couldn’t sit. Couldn’t get comfortable. And more than anything just ready for those last few weeks to be over.

Irene

Oh, Janae! I have no advice, since I haven’t had kids, but I am sure you can do it! My mom always tells me giving birth isn’t as bad as a really bad migraine (I think she had really easy labors though) so I hope she is right! She might be lying to me so she gets grandkids one day though;) My guess is that it will be bad but it will be worth it x1000. I can’t wait to see your little one!

I am getting anxious to know the baby’s name! It looks like it is a short name since it fits in that little circle hmmm! You look great and 40 miles! Wow, I am not even pregnant and I don’t ever do that! I can’t believe that it is almost time to have the baby! You will do fine!

Linsie

you are hilarious :) and BEAUTIFUL! wow…you look so good!! I looked like a beached whale on week 36 of my pregnancy! :)

I love Baby Mama and Father of the Bride Part II…love the workout scene :) haha I really want to see What to Expect When Expecting! And I’ve heard Friends with Kids is good…but not really a “birth” movie

I was so scared about labor…I cannot handle pain…at all! But I’m soooo thankful for epidurals :) They work wonders and I was so relaxed and calm after I got one!! And with 28 hours of labor…I wouldn’t have been able to do it without one…I really give women credit who do it all naturally! amazing!

The hardest part of the last part of my pregnancy was just waiting for my little guy to be here and being uncomfortable because I was so HUGE! haha

so excited for you guys!!! she will be here so soon!!! :)

Linsie

I loved Father of the Bride Part II! I was so nervous about the pain of labor with my first pregnancy. I have a high pain tolerance and I still worried. Thankfully, I chose an epidural and now I’m one of those weird people who actually enjoy labor. The last few weeks of pregnancy, I was nervous my water would break in public. I had a friend who’s water broke while she was driving down the freeway and she was stuck in traffic.

BriAnne

Honestly, when I think about the 12 hours I had in the delivery room when my daughter was born, it makes me want to have 300 babies! My water broke, so I wasn’t having contractions when we got to the hospital (I actually delivered right up the road from you at American Fork Hospital!), but my doctor had to leave town so he put me on pitocin. My dad is an anesthesiologist in AZ (they flew up right when I told them my water broke) and told me that if they decide to do the pitocin, call for your epidural right away so it can be working before the contractions get so intense. I was crazy and thought, “Maybe I’d like to feel the contractions for a while just so I can say that I did.” For me…not a great idea. Needless to say, I called for the epidural and the verbal abuse towards my husband stopped, just kidding…kind of. :) I even told him after it kicked in, “I feel so good! I just want to be nice to everyone!” haha! After that, everything was so wonderful! I had energy and I wasn’t afraid and I even had energy after she was born to just enjoy the whole experience. Don’t be afraid! It is so wonderful!

I’m so jealous that you can keep exercising! I just about had a heart attack because I just realized I gained like 4 pounds between my last dr appt and today’s! (I’m 31 weeks). You look great!

I didn’t let myself get to scared about it cause if it is something so unknown there is just no way to fully prepare for it so you just gotta go with it. You will be so excited and caught in the moment and then want her out so much nothing else will really matter. Plus the epidural was pretty cool. The nurses are great and will help you thru it all!

I think I might need to stock up on Lemonade, just found out #2 is on it’s way…

Stacey

I have loved reading all about your adventures, both running and baby! Don’t worry too much about the labor. I had a home birth last year (no pain relief there!) and was fine! The hardest part was being so tired. Just try to remember that it is all worth it in the end…kind of like running!

u have the best most supportive family so IF Billy doesn’t make it in time, I promise promise promise it will be okay. the super crazy awesome lovey dovey emotional high lasts for 3ish days (for me anyway) where u want to kiss traffic lights and blenders so the minute he sees u and bebe, he will be right there with u (physically and emotionally). and it will be like he was there all along. I know it seems like the worst possible scenario and it WILL be hard emotionally but I think the idea of it and what people might think/say is much worse that it actually would be. BUT I’m sure he’ll be there and it will be pure heaven. :):):):):):) xxoo

Ashley

Amanda N

Congrats on the 1K miles with your little girl, that’s so amazing! Can’t wait to find out her name :) I don’t have any advice on the labor stuff as I haven’t had kids yet but I love reading all the comments for advice!

You’re so stinkin’ cute! Baby Mama is so hilarious!! And Father of the Bride is so cute! Good choices for prepping you on childbirth. I’ve never had a baby but am hoping to be pregnant very (VERY) soon and that is what I am most terrified of it. I might take your approach of waiting until the very last moment to even think about it. I’m a total wimp too! But they say that if you are in shape it will be easier and that it’s a lot like a marathon… However, I quite enjoy running marathons so who knows. But either way, the end result is ten billion times better than finishing a marathon. You get to meet and see your new baby girl!

You are, hands down, the cutest pregnant person I have ever seen! Congrats on 1,000 miles together because that is an amazing accomplishment. I think that come labor day, you’ll surprise the hell out of yourself in terms of your pain threshold. I’ve never been pregnant or gone through labor, but you’re a tough cookie.

I love Baby Mama and Father of the Bride II! I recently saw What to Expect When You’re Expecting and thought that was pretty hilarious too.

I am giving birth at a birth center (so no pain meds) and I get nervous every once in a while about how I will manage. I’m excited to see how my body responds to birthing and scared at the same time.

Good luck figuring out where to have the baby. I’m sure that that is quite stressful. In the end, the baby may decide for you! I have a feeling it will all work out – so relax and enjoy your last few weeks. Everyone tells me how much easier it is to take care of the baby while it is inside of you!

Kami

Just had my third baby, and I can say that labor is no walk in the park. With my first, I labored and pushed for five hours, all unmedicated. Turns out my baby was facing the wrong way and I ended up having a c-section. I was strong, fit and thought that I had natural childbirth in the bag. Just goes to show that anything can happen, so the important thing to focus on is getting a healthy baby into the world–no matter how it works out. The second two births have been VBACs with epidurals, and I must say that I’m a big fan of pain relief (and I think husbands are too–there’s nothing harder for a husband than to watch his wife in pain and be helpless about it!). :) The one nice thing about painful contractions is that you’ll KNOW when you’re really in labor. And in the end, childbirth goes by SO FAST and is so short in the grand scheme of things. Good luck!!

Wow I can’t believe your baby will be here in a month! It has flown by! I am so excited for you!
P.S. love both of those movies, great pics! Baby Mama will definitely get you laughing and not thinking about the pain of labor!

Wow! It’s so fun getting to read everyone else’s comments as well, especially since I just had my baby one week ago today!!! I can’t believe this time last week we were working on getting checked out of the hospital and about to drive home with our little man (We’re living in the UK for a year – returning to the US next month – and here they check you out at 6 hours post-partum if you had a healthy delivery.) I just wanted to answer your questions about whether or not the impending pain of labor scared me and about how the last weeks of labor were.
This was my sixth baby to birth, and the only one for which I was running up until the big day (I was overdue and ran three days after the due date.) With number five I only ran until 16 weeks, and for the four before that I wasn’t a runner. It was by far my fastest labor yet – by hours and hours – although the pain was intense as usual. To answer the question, though, I was very scared of the pain again. You can ask my husband. Even though I wanted the pregnancy to be over so badly (I honestly hate being pregnant – every time.) as the end approached I cried a few times when the fear would overwhelm me. The night before I had the baby I had enough contractions to know from experience that it would be the next day – and I had a bit of a breakdown because I didn’t want to have to face the pain again :( Even knowing all the wonderful things that were to come, etc, I was scared to go through it again. I was induced for the first baby due to some complications, which then led to an epidural after about 78 hours of labor – but after that birth, the others have all been natural childbirth, and for the first of those (baby number two), I was not scared because I thought it couldn’t be *that bad*. Ever since, though, I have been a bit scared. Oh, my point to telling you this was my quickest ever, though, is that with all your running, I really think you should have a faster and easier labor than a lot of women. I know most of the commenters said that epidurals are the way to go, but if I can humbly recommend a book for you to peruse over the next four weeks, there is a great one which thoroughly covers all the birth options. It’s called “The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth.” I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to be fully informed before walking into that hospital. :) Babies number 4, 5, and 6 I delivered standing up, and there was essentially no pushing. It was just getting through the contractions to where I was fully dilated and ready to push that was the hard part. This time my “stage two” (pushing the baby out) was recorded in the hospital as taking “less than one minute.” Anyway, I hope this hasn’t added to any fears you may be having, but – you asked! :) I am sure if 36-yr old, never ran til she was 34, hasn’t done a ton of marathons me can make it through without drugs that you can, too, if that is your desire. If you aren’t one to care about that aspect of it, then probably get the drugs as soon as possible so you can have a more pleasant experience :)
In the last 6 weeks I just want it to end, to get the baby out – but then this time, the last two weeks I started to feel like I didn’t want it to end because I knew how hard the end would be. Go figure. Once the labor started, though, and I knew it would be over some time in the next 24-48 hours, I was glad for it, and I felt like – bring it on. Let’s get this show on the road!

I just told my mom that you make me sick being so small.. and she said “Oh, I know her! She was in my Hallmark movie this weekend.” teeheehee.. When I told her you weren’t an actress she made me google a million Hallmark movies to find the one she’s talking about because “it can be (your) twin!”.. she can’t remember the name.. except that it has “love” in the title! Hallmark movie with “love” in the title.. that’s what I’ve got to work with.. LOL

You are too cute!! :) How exciting!!! 1 month left?! I remember when you posted the cute picture of you and billy with a pair of baby running shoes between both of your running shoes to announce it!! I can’t believe she’s almost here!! :)
I have no experience whatsoever in this field (yet) ;) … so I can’t really help you out with what to expect or how to get through labor… I’ll be praying for you though!!! *hugs*!

FOTB 2! After all, my daughter is named Annie :). It will prepare you beautifully for labor. My advice: Don’t worry about it! Just get that epidural and anticipate that little girl arriving while you eat ice chips (and if you’re lucky you might get jello and chicken broth! yum!) and hang with your Mom and sister. It will be the best day of your life G.U.A.R.A.N.T.E.E.D. Why shouldn’t you be excited about that?!

You inspire me! I hope to be able to run even 1/10 that many miles when I’m pregnant :)

Janae you look amazing girl!! i love both of those movies, they are so funny! i think the part that made me most nervous was that the epidural wasnt going to work right, or work on just half of my body, yikes! the worst part was just the waiting feeling. I ended up being induced, so being given a date and time was wonderful for my controling brain : )
dont worry about a think, your going to do amazing and i really hope billy makes it! im sure he will, he seems awesome like that : )

Crystal

I am the biggest pain wuss ever. I cry when I stub my toe, pass out when I get shots and I managed to have two natural labors. I credit this all to water. Seriously it’s like freaking magic. I think I once heard someone refer to birthing pools as nature’s epidural.

Did you guys change your mind about delivering in California?! I feel like when I read your blog (minus the running miles you get in-you are amazing) I am totally reading about my experience too. We are seriously going through all the same things. The thought of Randy possibly not being at the delivery makes me want to cry.

Just think, after the pain, you get to see your baby girl! Yay!

Hardest part about pregnancy so far is this past week. 36 weeks is not my friend. Pretty sure my ribs are internally bruised. They freaking hurt so bad. And sleep is just not happening anymore. Good thing I’m so excited for this little one or I would be very upset about all these things!

Jill

The unknown (aka labor and delivery) is just scary, bottom line. I just tried to visualize my birth a lot like I do my races. I focused very hard on that finish line and that moment where I’d be holding my baby girl. I was epidural all the way and honestly, it wasn’t bad. Every time I needed to push I remembered how strong my body is from running and racing and gave it all I’ve got. I imagine you’ll do the same. :-)